The Two Changes of the Good and Bad
by Harrypotterisawesome123
Summary: AU Harry Potter goes back in time to start over. Fawkes helps him, but two changes are made to the timeline, two that could change everything. One: There is no such thing as the Twin Cores. Two: Well... You'll just have to find out! Changeling!Fawkes Powerful!Harry. Rated just in case.
1. Chapter 1

A cool breeze blew over the desolate ground, the once beautiful castle sat in disrepair. Bodies were strewn everywhere, The remains of once-laughing children and loving families. A lone figure looked out across the battle-field, his green eyes dim, his heart broken. No one but him survived, not even the enemy. He felt the dying magic of the castle, felt it speaking to him.

_Harry, my child, my child..._

Then Hogwarts herself died, and along with it, the last hope of Harry Potter. Suddenly, there was a flash of flame, and Fawkes the phoenix appeared in the sky and landed on Harry's shoulder. Surveying the scene before him, he let out a mournful call.

_This isn't how it was supposed to end! I've foreseen happiness, not this!_

"I know," murmured Harry, "I wish I could do it over again! I want my family back! I want my home back!" He was shouting by the end of it, and he fell to his knees, crying for the first time since the Burrow burnt down with Ron trapped inside. Fawkes, however straightened up, his feathers gleaming for the first time since his master had died.

_A wish! _he exclaimed, _I can work with that! Harry, get up! We're taking a trip to the past!_ Harry looked up, disbelief etched into his prematurely lined face.

"But even if that's possible - even if we do, I won't be able to become involve, it's like Hermione said - "

_Silly, this isn't time travel using a Time Turner, _interrupted Fawkes,_ This is merely transporting your memories and knowledge into your younger self! Though, I'm not sure "merely" is the proper word... It does take a lot of power, and I will have to revert to __Chickadee form to recuperate..._ Harry snorted despite the pain and grief.

"So, I'll be my younger self, only I'll keep my memories?" He asked. Fawkes bobbed his head enthusiastically, then paused.

_There will be a price, however. You will have to give up the power of the twin cores, and there will be one unpredictable change in the timeline, though it will not change someone close to you, it will effect your destiny in strange ways. _Harry frowned, then shrugged.

"I don't have anything else to lose anyway," He said as cheerful as one can be while standing in a blackened, body-strewn crater. Fawkes nodded and grasped his right arm.

_ Hold on tight, _said Fawkes excitedly, _This is gonna hurt like hell!_

And they both disappeared in a flash of pure white flame.

* * *

** A/N: Hello, fellow readers! Author speaking (sup). This is my first ever fanfic, so do go easy on the Howlers, please! I'm new to how everything works, so if I make a really stupid mistake, please let me know. I will try to set up a regular updating pace (Like once a week or so), and I will update as much as I can. Since I'm twelve, and everybody else on here is like in college, any tips on spelling or grammar will be welcome. **

** Since it takes forever to find a decent story on here, I will be giving a recommendation for a certain book or author once per chapter (I know! I'm just so awesome, right? I'm not very modest either! *laughs maniacally*).**

** REVIEWING IS RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE THAT WISH TO ESCAPE WITH THEIR LIVES! MWAHAHAHA! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No, I did not suddenly own Harry Potter between the prologue and chapter one.**

"Up! Wake up! Now!" Harry opened his eyes groggily, and winced as pain assaulted his limbs.

_Fawkes really wasn't kidding._ He glanced around and found that he was back in his cupboard with his Aunt pounding annoyingly on the door.

"Up!" She screeched. Harry rolled his eyes as he pulled a spider off one of his shirts. A twittering distracted him and he looked around to see Fawkes the red-and-gold chickadee poke his head out from under the blankets of his bed.

_This is what you call a bedroom? _he said, looking around, _Not very nice, is it? _

"Fawkes, what are you doing here?" asked Harry, "Aren't you supposed to be merged with your younger self?" Fawkes shook his head.

_I only had enough strength for one of us, _He said, _and Dumbledore would've noticed the change in me, anyway. It's... better this way._

"I suppose you're right," Harry muttered, "Come on, time to face my letter and my relatives!" He slipped Fawkes into one of his overlarge pockets and went out into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon scowled at him and pointed wordlessly at a plate of stale bread and a thin slice of cheese. Harry ate his breakfast with deliberate slowness, trying to make the pitiful meal last longer. When he heard the click of the mail slot, he almost dashed to the front door and started sifting through the mail until he found what he was looking for. There, addressed to him in emerald green ink, was his Hogwarts letter.

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Cupboard Under the Stairs**

**Number 4, Privet Drive**

**Little Whinging**

**Surrey**

Harry's face broke into a huge smile, and he hid the envelope in his back pocket as he walked back to the kitchen table.

_ Wouldn't want it to happen like last time, now, would we?_

He flopped the letters down on the table and hurried to his cupboard. It was only when he closed his cupboard door that he realised he didn't have any way to reply to his letter.

"Er - Fawkes?" Fawkes poked his head out of Harry's pocket.

_Yes?_

"Could you send a reply to Dumbledore?" Asked Harry, "Are you strong enough to transform into an owl?" Fawkes huffed in irritation but nodded. Harry flashed him an appreciative grin, snatched up a piece of paper and scribbled down, _Yes I will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. However, I do not have any means of getting my school supplies. Could you send someone at 1:00PM on Sunday? Thanks!_

and offered it to Fawkes, who took it in his beak, transformed into a tawny owl and disappeared in a puff of brown smoke.

* * *

_Ding dong!_

Harry looked up from the book he was reading, his heart pounding in excitement.

"WHO THE RUDDY HELL IS THAT!?" Harry groaned at his uncles bellowing voice, thinking, _Oh no! I forgot to tell the Dursleys'! _He heard the door open and an achingly familiar voice say,

"Hello, the Dursleys, I presume?" Harry leapt off the bed and walked as fast as he could without running to the front door. There, in tattered robes, stood Professor Lupin. An explosion went off inside Harry's head, and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself.

"Hello, sir," said Harry, trying his best to look meek, "Are you her to help me with my school supplies?" Professor Lupin frowned at his ragged appearance but nodded and smiled encouragingly at him. Uncle Vernon, however, had turned an ugly shade of puce.

"What school is this, " Uncle Vernon snarled, "You'd better have some answers, boy, and it had better not be that school for freaks that Petunia mentioned."

"You mean Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?" asked Harry innocently. Uncle Vernon turned puce, sputtered, then backhanded Harry across the face, sending him flying across the room. The back of Harry's head hit the wall, stars popped in front of his eyes as he slid down it, and he lay there stunned. Uncle Vernon may have bellowed at him on every opportunity, but he had never hit Harry before. Professor Lupin instantly shoved Uncle Vernon against the wall, his werewolf strength aiding him.

"Never," he snarled, "Touch Harry again!" Uncle Vernon struggled for a moment, before giving up.

"Fine," he spat, "But that freak is never welcome in our home ever again. It wasn't our fault that his freakish parents got themselves blown up, but the boy was dumped on our doorstep anyway." Professor Lupin released him, and Uncle Vernon staggered away from him, scowling.

Lupin hurried over to where Harry was slumped against the wall, rubbing his throbbing head.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"I'm fine, M-m-" Harry's eyes widened as he contemplated the magnitude of what he was about to say, "Moony." He finished in a whisper. Professor Lupin made a choking sound, staring down at him.

"You remember me?" he asked hoarsely. Harry gave him a wry smile.

"I remember everything," He replied, "From my birth to now. You'd be surprised what adults will say around a baby when they think the're not listening." Harry then found himself wrapped in a tight embrace.

"I've missed you," whispered Prof- Moony, tears streaming down his face, "But I never thought that you would remember me." Harry smiled awkwardly at him as Moony helped him to his feet and led him out the door, which was promptly slammed behind them.

"Charming, isn't he my Uncle," said Harry, grinning lopsidedly in a way that Padfoot had told him was so like his father's smile. As it was, Moony gave him a look of amusement. They quickly reached the underground, and, unlike last time with Hagrid, Moony knew perfectly well how to use muggle money and payed for both there tickets. They got a lot less strange looks then last time.

Harry's heart leapt when he saw the door to the Leaky Cauldron, and Fawkes, whom Harry had quite forgotten about, let out an excited chirp and transformed into a tiny black adder.

_"Meet me at the Magical Menagerie after you are finished with your shopping," _He hissed, _"I'll pretend to be one of the snakes in the cages."_

_ "Sounds good," _Harry hissed back, and Fawkes disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Harry grinned when Moony opened the pub door to reveal it to be excactly the same way it was last time. Several people looked up when the door opened but most just ignored them. Moony led him out the back door and Harry found himself staring at a brick wall.

"Um, why are we standing at a brick wall?" Harry asked confusedly. Moony merely laughed and opened the gateway.

"Welcome, Harry, to Diagon Alley."

A/N: And another chapter finished! WHERE ARE THE REVIEWS, PEOPLE? I haven't got a single one yet! Oh well.. Oh yeah! Book recommendations! I suggest reading, "The Enemy Within", it's really good, plus, the author favourited some awesome stories!

Sorry if the last bit of the chapter was a bit sloppy, but I typed it on a Kindle Paperwhite, and it's not a touch screen. I will revise as soon as I can. See you!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I've got some reviewers! Doo doo doo doo doo, DOO! THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU GUYS! *hands cookie***

**sandmanwake: I'm talking about the connection between Harry and Voldemort's wands. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough!**

**diannaanne: I'm not top of the class in Creative writing for nothing, you know! *winks* Though every time I try to write a real story I end up ripping it in half and chucking it in the fireplace. It SUCKS, man!**

**And now! Without further adu.. adeu.. ad..*sighs* Just read the stupid chapter!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

Harry only half-faked the look of shock and awe on his face as he beheld a cheerful, poster-free Diagon Alley. Moony chuckled as he led Harry onto the bustling, cobblestone street. Harry was so absorbed with seeing Diagon Alley alive and well again that he didn't notice when they arived at Gringotts until Moony pushed open the door. Harry tried out his acting skills once again when they reached his vault, going on and on about the amount of money inside it while inwardly snickering at his own antics. Needless to say, Harry left Gringotts with his pockets considerably heavier than they were before.

"Could I get my wand first?" asked Harry excitedly. Moony chuckled.

"Alright," He said, "But we're saving the Magical Menagerie for last."

They entered Ollivanders and Harry was shocked to see none other than Luna Lovegood chatting with Mr. Ollivander animatedly. She looked up when the door opened and gave Harry a slightly deranged smile.

"Hello, Harry Potter," She said, "You've got a lot of Wrackspurts, did you know that? It's preventing you from replying to me intelligently." Harry opened and closed his mouth in shock, for she had just said the code that they had made up during the war. It reassured him that it was her and not an imposter. But they hadn't made that up until they were 17! How would she have known to say that, unless - But no -

"Hello, Luna," said Harry thinking quickly, "I didn't know you were a witch! You could've told me!" She put her hand on her hip in an uncharacteristically stern expression.

"Would you have believed me if I had?" Reluctantly, Harry shook his head. Mr. Ollivander quickly intervened.

"Which is your wand arm, Mr. Potter?" He asked.

"Well, I'm right-handed."

Mr. Ollivander snapped his fingers, and a tape measure started buzzing around

Harry's head, making him want to slap it away. After a few minutes or so, Mr. Ollivander emerged from the shelves holding a long, thin box Harry knew contained a wand.

"Enough," He said sharply, and the tape measure zoomed back into the corner. He then held out the wand for Harry to hold, and he was just about to grab it when Luna said,

"Custom."

Harry looked round at her. She was standing with he eyes even more unfocused than usual, which Harry knew meant she was reading the auras around the room.

"He needs a custom wand," She repeated, "None of the wands' auras match his. You'll have to make him one." Mr. Ollivander beamed at her.

"Thank you, my dear," He said, "That saved us both a lot of trouble." He turned to Harry.

"Come," He said, "We'll go into my store of wand wood and cores, and you just pick up what feels right." Harry followed him to a back room that he hadn't noticed until now and found himself surrounded by wood of all types, fur, feathers, and strange powders in glass jars. He walked around, picking up items that called to him. He ended up with two cores and two woods, much to his confusion.

"Ah," said Mr. Ollivander with a slight smile, "Dual wood and dual core. Interesting, very interesting. Phoenix feather and thestral hair for the core, and yew wood and - but-" Mr. Ollivander gasped in shock, "Elder wood." He finished in a whisper. Moony, whom Harry had not noticed come in, let out a surprised gasp. Harry supposed he knew the reason, but went along with the "clueless little kid" act.

"Why's elder wood so special?" asked Harry, running his finger over the silvery wood.

"Elder wood is the most powerful wand wood in the world," replied Moony, still staring avidly at the block of wood as if it would spit fire.

Mr. Ollivander was positively beaming with pleasure, "Yes, a very fine wand this will make! Very well, I will have it ready in a couple hours. You'd best deal with the rest of your shopping, Mr. Potter." Moony nodded and nearly dragged Harry from the room. He led the way into Madam Malkin's, and, Harry was pleased to see, he didn't run into Malfoy this time. In Flourish and Blott's, Harry desperatly wanted to buy himself some advanced defense books, but he knew Moony would never allow it and thus stuck with the (painfully simple) first year textbooks. When their arms were full of all Harry's school supplies, Moony said,

"Now, let's go pick up your wand, and then we will go and get you a pet." Harry nodded, excited to see what his knew wand looked like.

"Ah, there you are," said Mr, Ollivander as soon as they walked in the door, "I was beginning to think that you had run off; your wand was finished almost an hour ago." He produced a slim, red box and opened the lid. Harry gasped, for never in his life had he seen a more beautiful wand. The wood, white and silver, was intertwined so it swirled from handle to tip, and it seemed to emanate a soft, silvery glow. The best part about it, however, was that at the very base of the handle, there was carved a tiny stag.

"Prongs," Harry whispered, tears prickling his eyes. Mr. Ollivander smiled a little sadly.

"Luna thought you might appreciate that," he said in response to Harry's unspoken question. Harry lifted the wand gently from its box, and he felt not a fierce, but a warm, soft power surge through him. He smiled as pure white sparks danced from its tip.

It's perfect," he breathed. Suddenly he felt arms encircle him, and he stiffened and looked around. Luna was hugging him, a faint smiled tugging at her lips.

"You don't get hugged very often, do you, Harry Potter?" It was not a question. Harry shook his head and disentangled himself from her.

"Call me Harry," he replied, "It's what my friends call me." She beamed at him.

"I've not had a friend before! Can we go shopping together?"

"I've only got to get my pet now," said Harry, "But we can go to the Magical Menagerie together." Luna smiled, if possible, even wider, and promptly dragged him out onto the cobblestone street, Moony staying behind to pay for his wand.

The Magical Menagerie was just as noisy and smelly as Harry remembered, and he despaired at the thought of trying to find Fawkes in this.

_Over here, Hatchling, _called a familiar voice and Harry spotted a firey-red snake that was unmistakably Fawkes.

"Renso," He said, using Fawkes' undercover name. Renso slithered over to Harry and wrapped around his shoulders. Luna looked on with interest, but not shock, for she was probably used to strange happenings. Moony walked in the shop and excliamed, "What are you doing!? That's a class XXXX creature! It could kill you!" Harry held up a hand to stop him.

"_Renso _is my familiar. He couldn;t hurt me even if he wanted to." he said, albeit rather harshly. Moony looked suitably abashed and shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Ooh, look!" Lune exclaimed, "A Puffskein! Can I get one of those, please?"

One of the shop managers hurried over and handed her a humming, fluffy ball that was about the size of a bludger, albeit a bit softer. He then looked over the fire-snake draped over Harry's shoulders and said with a raised eyebrow, "That'll be 25 galleons total."

They left the shop a few minutes later with Harry carrying Renso and Luna carrying Nargleson the Puffskein.

"See you around, Harry!" exclaimed Luna. She leaned forward and whispered, "We'll talk more on the train, alright?" Harrry nodded, waved, and head back into the Leaky Cauldron and out into the muggle world.

**Moony's POV**

Remus was troubled as he climbed the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. Harry had been significantly different than he had expected, though under the circumstances of his childhood, his expectations had been unreasonable. But the way he talked, the way he moved, was like that of a much older person. And the fact that he remembered everything from as early on as his _birth? _ Now that was a surprise in itself -

"Come in,"said a voice. Remus started; he had not realised he had reach the door to Dumbledore's office and had been standing there for quite some time. He quickly stepped into the room that filled with all manner of whirring trinkets and old forgotten books.

"Ah, Remus," said Dumbledore, laying down a piece of parchment he had been studying, "What news do you bring of Harry?"

"He is a bit mistreated, and I think that you should investigate how the Dursleys treated him. He seems humble enough, but he remembers everything from as way back as his birth." Dumbledore straightened up, surprise etched on to his face. This was something he had not planned on dealing with.

"You are dismissed," said Dumbledore abruptly. As Remus left the room, Dumbledore studied one of the flashing and whirring trinkets.

"Is there something you're hiding, Harry?" He whispered thoughtfully, "Well I'll just have to tighten the reigns, then."

** A/N: Next up: Harry goes on the Hogwarts Express and meets someone he did not expect to see! **

** For the purpose of this story, Luna will be the same age as Harry. This way we'll be able to keep track of our wayward friend, eh?**

** Book Recommendation: "Cradle" is a fairly good book; needs some editing, though.**

**This chapter has been rewritten.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm Back! Sorry if I took too long in updating, but I couldnt type all weekend. If I make too many mistakes, please let me know and i will fix them! I'm thinking of writing a oneshot on Luna Lovegood, but I'm not sure.**

** Thank you, reviewers!**

Harry found the Dursleys fear of him less annoying then it was before, but it was still irritating that everyone in the house either ignored him or ran screaming from the room He fell into a sort of routine, read his books, eat, do chores, sleep, cross off a day on the calender, repeat. It was deadly dull, but there wasn't much else to do.

_There will be another unpredictable change in the timeline... _That sentence had been bugging him for a while now. What change? He hadn't noticed any changes so far, only that Moony had been the one to take him to Diagon Alley, and that definitely didn't "change the course of history".

Harry sighed, looked at the calender and gave a start of surprise. Tomorrow was September 1st! The day he would go to King's Cross station! Harry was grinning without meaning to. Tomorrow he was going home!

* * *

Harry looked on as the Dursleys drove away, under the impression that Harry wouldn't be able to find Platform 9 3/4. As it was, Harry merely waited until they were out of sight and then casually walked through the barrier. The noise and the smoke was almost too much for Harry's battle instincts, which were screaming at him to pull out his wand. Harry took a deep breath to calm himself and tapped his trunk.

"_Locomotor Trunk!"_

His Hogwarts trunk rose steadily into the air, and hovered, as if waiting for a command. Harry and his trunk flitted in and out of the crowd until they were safely on the train, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He started searching for a compartment, but it was rather difficult because of either his half-blood status or the great big fire-snake slung heavily around his shoulders.

Harry was on his last straw when he checked the last compartment, where a strange girl with dusky-brown hair and sharp, brown eyes was situated near the window. She was reading a book in her lap and didn't seem to

notice him come in.

"Er- May I sit here?" Harry asked tentatively. The girl smiled very faintly and nodded. Harry sat down opposite her and pulled out his own book (Hogwarts, a History), and began to read. They sat there for quite a while before the girl suddenly said,

"You are Harry Potter, are you not?" Harry looked up and met a pair of intense brown eyes, calculating and sizing him up.

"Er – yeah," he said awkwardly, "What is your name?"

"Lavinia," she replied, her eyes flicking back to her book.

"And your last name?" he asked tentatively. Her eyes flashed with something Harry could not understand.

"I'd prefer not to say."

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to pry," said Harry hastily. Her eyes flickered in amusement. Harry idly noticed that her eyes seemed to be the main source of her emotion; the rest of her face remained blank and expressionless.

"That's alright."

Just then, Renso slithered out of Harry's sleeve and curled around his shoulders. Lavinia's eyes widened, but she didn't seem frightened. Instead, she merely raised an eyebrow, as if inviting him to explain.

"Renso, meet Lavinia," Harry said awkwardly, "Lavinia, this is my familiar, Renso." She smiled a true smile at Harry, the first one he'd seen.

"Only a Parselmouth can have a snake familiar," she commented quietly. Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, So?" He said, a little defensively. She smiled, and, to Harry's utter shock, hissed to Renso, _May I pet you, O great snake of fire? _Renso recoiled slightly in shock, then replied, _Yes, you may, Speaker of Blood but not in Heart. _And slithered over to lay on Lavinia's lap. Harry noticed that her hands had tensed slightly when he called her by his nickname.

_You speak it? _Harry asked, reminding himself forcibly of Riddle.

_Yes, I speak it, _she replied, her eyes glinting in amusement as though from an inside joke.

"Well, this is useful," said Harry in English, "We can speak this language to each other and no body will be able to tell what we are saying." But Lavinia was already shaking her head.

"It is best if we don't spread this around," she replied, a slight tinge of regret in her voice, "We don't want any unwanted attention, especially from any former Death Eaters."

"Good point," said Harry. Suddlenly, the door to the compartment opened, and they looked up to see Hermione and Neville standing there.

"Sorry to bother you," Said Hermione in "bossy mode", "But have either of you seen a toad? Neville's lost one."

"Have you tried summoning it?" Harry asked. Hermione looked confused.

"What?"

"Summoning it," repeated Harry. He raised his wand and incanted, "_Accio Neville's toad!"_ Nothing seemed to happen, and Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Trevor zoomed in and straight into Harry's waiting hand. Hermione gaped at him for a few seconds, then held out her hand for Harry to shake.

"Hermione Granger," she said. Harry took her hand and replied, "Harry Potter." Neville gave a little squeak and glanced upwards at his forehead.

"Yes, I'm the famous Harry Potter," he said wearily," and I'd appreciate it if you didn't spread that around; it gets really annoying to have to deal with all the whispering and staring and pointing." Lavinia, who had remained silent so far, nodded sympathetically.

"I understand. My dad is sort of - well, he's not the nicest person ever, and everyone always thinks I'll be just like him as well. People jump to conclusions about me, and it makes it hard to make friends." Harry glanced at her curiously, as Hermione and Neville made themselves comfortable in the seats that were unoccupied.

"Who is your dad?" He asked. Lavinia winced and looked away.

"Believe me, you'll know at the sorting. Let's hope you'll still be my friend afterwards." Harry then realised something, a creeping suspicion that Lavinia was the unpredictable change in the timeline, and that her father and her last name were connected.

"Riddle," Harry whispered, "Your last name's Riddle."

**A/N ****Duh Duh DUH! Bet you weren't suspecting that, huh? I've never found a good "Voldemort has a daughter" story where the daughter wasn't evil, so I just made one myself. I was going to make this chapter a little longer, but I really wanted it to end on a cliffhanger. Next up, the Sorting! And Dumbledore has a heart attack when he figures out who Lavinia really is, and that she is friends with Harry Potter. I would feel bad for him if I wasn't the one giving him the heart attack (evil laugh).**

**Recommended**** book: "Time Warp", a humorous back-in-time story, that I really like!**

** See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

** OMG! 974 VIEWS? SQQUUEEEAAALLL! I can't believe that many people veiwed my story, 8 people reveiwed it, 28 favourited it and 13 followed it! Thank you to all those who reviewed, or just plain read my story! (sniffs and wipes away tear, and randomly starts singing a Miranda Lambert song)**

** *Ahem* Now down to business. This chapter is ridiculously long, and I put a lot of effort into it, so you'd better appreciate it! AND it's a Friday and I'm doing this in time I normally hang out with friends.**

** Happy Birthday to me! I'm officially thirteen! Me and my friends are having a HARRY POTTER MOVIE MARATHON!It's going to be so cool! There's nothing better for a teenage girl then to have four of her friends come over for a sleepover and gossip on her birthday. My twin Joey is pretty surly about it, though, she's more down-to-earth than I am, and thinks sleepovers are "boring". What we're going to do for our cake is Joey's half of the cake is going to be black with chocolate sprinkles, and mine is going to be white with rainbow sprinkles, and there's going to be a big V.S. in the center.**

** Info on Twins: First off, we DO NOT have a magical mind connection! we can occasionally feel each others emotions, but that's IT! Also, not all of us are like Fred and George. Joey and I are as different as two identical twins can possibly be (Joey likes Minecraft, I like playing the cello, Joey refuses to wear anything but black, I'll wear anything on the visible colour spectrum, ect.)**

**Disclaimer: This disclaimer will act for all of the remaining disclaimers in the other chapters, because I do not own Harry Potter.**

Lavinia's eyes widened at Harry's pronouncement, before darkening with sadness and resignation.

"You can leave, if you want; I know what he's done, who he is. My father," She looked at Neville and Hermione, who were both looking confused, "Is Tom Marvolo Riddle. If you haven't guessed yet, he turned his name into an anagram. Tom Marvolo Riddle, can be spelled -"

"I am Lord Voldemort," said Harry quietly, looking up at her. Hermione gasped and Neville slumped back in his seat, staring at Lavinia, who looked utterly defeated.

"I despise him," she whispered, "He ruined my life. Whenever someone knows of my heritage they can hardly speak to me. I just tell them that they can think what they like. I'm tired of fighting the public opinion." Harry put a hand on her shoulder.

"Lavinia," he said, "You don't seem evil to me, you don't look or sound evil, so the only conclusion is that you aren't evil. I'm not one to judge someone just because of their father, or their Hogwarts House. I don't hold with such prejudice." Tears welled up within Lavinia's eyes, and she hugged him.

"Nobody's ever said that to me before," She whispered, "It's so hard living with my aunt and uncle when they keep giving me shifty looks as if I'll attack them if they're in the same room as me." Harry patted her awkwardly on the head while giving Hermione a pleading look from behind her back. Hermione nodded and pulled Lavinia gently off him, then squeaked and let go when she spotted the snake curled around her shoulders.

"Oh that's Renso," said Harry, "He's harmless. Wouldn't hurt a fly unless I asked him to." Lavinia nodded, smiling adoringly down at Renso.

"Yes, he's quite the gentleman," she said, "Very politely asked me if he could hitch a ride around my shoulders. Said he wanted a view out the window."

"You're a Parselmouth?" Neville asked faintly, staring at the Renso, who was hissing in appreciation of Lavinia's praise.

"I am too," said Harry, "But we'd both prefer it if you didn't spread it around; Parseltongue's considered a Dark ability, but it's really just another language." Neville just nodded meekly and looked back at his lap.

Th food trolly came by, but Harry didn't get anything, preffering to wait until the Hogwarts Feast. The rest of them followed suit, Neville mumbling about how he wasn't very hungry at the the moment. This was understandable, since Renso had been staring at him intently as though he were a piece of prey, although he had hissed, _I'm going to see if I can get him to scream before we get to Hogsmeade._

Malfoy tried to come in their compartment at one point, but Harry cast a quick Locking Charm to ensure that he didn't; he didn't want to make such an enemy of Malfoy before they even got to Hogwarts.

Suddenly, the train started to slow down and the announcer on the train said in his usual nasal voice, "Leave your luggage on the train; it will be take to the school seperately." Hermione and Lavinia left while they all changed, and they met back up on the dark station platform. Harry led the way as they followed Hagrid's booming bellows of, "Firs' years! Over 'ere! Firs' years!"

It occured to Harry, as they and the rest of the first years slipped and slid on the dark path to the lake, that they were bringing students who don't know any magic, with a game keeper who _can't _use magic, right along the edge of the forbidden forest.

_Jeez, they really do have a problem with security, don't they?_

Then there was a loud cry of, "Oooh!" as they caught sight of the castle for the first time, and Harry felt a surge of joy.

When they reached the boats and got in Harry was almost panting in excitement. He was going to be able to speak with Hogwarts again! He could already feel the telltale hum of her ancient magic, and it got steadily stronger as they got closer and closer to the castle. Then, as they entered the underground passage and they broke through the wards, Hogwarts' conscience washed over him, and he felt her excitement and amusement as if it were his own.

_Welcome back, Speaker of Hogwarts._

Harry smiled, relishing the feeling of her warm, peaceful presence.

_It is nice to see you alive and well again, Hogwarts,_ he replied, and he heard her chuckle lightly.

_I've never been not. _

Harry shook himself out of the trance he'd been in in time for him to climb out and join the others next to the castle door. Hagrid raised his fist and knocked three times upon the castle door. Harry winced in sympathy; that had to hurt. After a moment, the doors opened to admit the gray-haired, strict figure of Professor McGonagall.

"The Firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid, waving a huge hand at the huddle of terrified students.

"Thank you, Hagrid," replied Professor McGonagall, "That will be all." Hagrid nodded and left them to the strict hands of the Transfiguration teacher. She turned and led them through the door, past the Great Hall and into the side room. Lavinia nodded at Harry, who took a hold of her hand. Renso, who had been hiding up Lavinia's sleeve, discretely slithered from Lavinia's arm to Harry's, going up his sleeve and curling docilely around his shoulders. Suddenly there was a squeal and Harry found his face being engulfed in a tangle of dirty-blond hair.

"Luna!" Harry gasped, "Can't breath!" Luna immediately let go of Harry and looked him up and down.

"Where were you?" she asked accusingly, "I couldn't find you anywhere! You promised we'd meet on the train!" Harry shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Sorry, Luna," He said meekly, "But I had to put a Notice-Me-Not Charm on the door to our compartment so people would stop barging in looking for the 'Boy-Who-Lived'." He said the last phrase with a hint of disdain in his voice. Luna nodded sympathetically, then noticed Hermione, Neville and Lavinia for the first time. Instead of asking Harry for their names first, she simply said, "Hello Hermione, Neville, Light Serpent. it is nice to meet you." And held out her hand for them all to shake, "My name is Luna Lovegood, and no I did not stalk you in order to get your names. I'm a Seer, you see." Yet again, Hermione Let out a gasp of shock

"But true Seers are supposedly really rare! There are fakes of course, and the only currently recorded Seer is Sybill Trelawney - but then how would you know our names?" Luna simply smiled but did not answer. Their conversation was then interrupted by a series of screams, shrieks and squeals as the four Hogwarts ghosts entered the room via the wall. Harry paid no attention to them this time, and instead focused on looking around for a familiar looking redhead. he had a sinking feeling that Ron wouldn't become his friend this time around, or at least not as close of one. As much as he wanted to deny it, the only reason his old friend had really approached him before was because he was the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Clear out!" came McGonagall's voice, telling off the ghosts, "The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin." The ghosts left, and Professor McGonagall gave them all one last sweeping look before she led the way into the Great Hall. The noise of all the older students died out instantly as they waited in eagerness for the new students to be Sorted. Professor McGonagall stepped forward and placed the Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a spindly stool. They all waited for a few moments, then a rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the Sorting Hat began to sing.

(A/N: Just imagine the song in your head, because I'm too lazy to write it all down, and I'm sure all of you don't want to hear it again!)

Everyone applauded as the Hat finished it's song, and Professor McGonagall pulled a roll of parchment from the pocket of her robe.

"When I call your name, You're to step forward and place the Hat on your head. Abbot, Hannah!" The blond, pig-tailed girl stumbled forward

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Abercrombie, Euan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And on it went, moving down the line until "Granger, Hermione!" Was called.

"Good Luck!" Harry whispered to her. She nodded and gave him an appreciative smile, and walked up to the Sorting Hat and jammed it eagerly on her head.

"RAVENCLAW!" Harry started in surprise; he definitely wasn't expecting that, though, Harry supposed, his chatting with her on the train may have brought out her inner Ravenclaw-ness. The  
Sorting continued until, "Longbottom, Neville!" was called. His stride as a lot less nervous then it had been last time, but Harry could see his hands shaking.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Harry stared at him. How could this be happening? Neville was a Gryffindor, not a Hufflepuff! He hissed quietly to Renso, "Why are they getting different Houses than last time? I thought there was supposed to only be two changes in the timeline!" There was a pause, then Renso answered,

"The Sorting Hat has his reasons, and I have a sneaking suspicion what they may be. Watch and wait. You'll see what it is in the end." Harry nodded, somewhat reluctantly.

"Lovegood, Luna!"

"RAVENCLAW!" Harry sighed in relief. At least Luna was Sorted into the right place. After a long while, Professor McGonagall finally said, "Potter, Harry!" and whispers spread across the Hall. Harry reluctantly stood up and walked over to the stool, ignoring all the staring and pointing. Harry sat on the stool, put on the Sorting Hat, and waited. After few moments, the hat sighed.

"Please lower your Occlumency shields; I can't see inside your head with them on, you know." Several people gasped, and he could imagine the look on their faces. An eleven-year-old with Occlemency shields? Impossible!

"Er-sorry," said Harry weakly, "I forgot about those." and he lowered them a bit.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" said the familiar small voice in his ear, "A Time Traveler! Just as Luna was! And a Guardian of Hogwarts! Four, in one go! I'll be hard pressed to keep up with it all."

"Hello, Alastair," Harry greeted, "What's a Guardian of Hogwarts?"

"A Guardian of Hogwarts is someone who protects the school from internal and external forces. Four Guardians, each in a different House.. this year is going to be an interesting one, indeed!" Harry paused, confused.

"But Luna is in the same House as Hermione!" the hat chuckled.

"Luna is a Seer, not a Guardian. That Riddle girl is one, I think. She will go into Slytherin, so you shall be a... GRYFFINDOR!" Harry got up and placed the stool back where it was. He swore as he took it off Alastair whispered, "Everything will change, now the the Serpents Daughter and the Phoenix-born will unite together." Harry walked to the Gryffindor table, where the Weasley twins were chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" They slapped him on the back and he looked at them with mock horror.

"Oh no!" He gasped, "Not the infamous Weasley twins." Everyone who overheard laughed, and the twins sported identical mischievous grins.

"Glad to hear -"

"That our reputation proceeds us!"

"Yes," said Harry, nodding frantically, "Professor McGonagall put warnings on our Hogwarts letters. It said to stay away from you guys." Both of them looked shocked.

"Really!?" they said in unison. Harry burst out laughing at the horrified and excited look on their faces, and they looked even more startled.

"Fred, my dear brother - "

"I think we have been had." They looked at him closely and he grinned cheekily at them.

"Couldn't help it, I wanted to see if I would succeed." They both shook their heads in a disappointed way.

"We must be losing our touch -"

"If we can be outsmarted - "

"By an ickle firstie - "

"We must be losing our touch."

They gestured at the seat between them and Harry sat down. He felt Renso stir under his robes, and he stiffened slightly.

_Fawkes, not now!_

Fawkes sighed exasperatedly.

_It's not that, _he said, _Hogwarts just spoke. She wants you to go to the Room of Requirement and enter the Heart of Hogwarts. The others minus Luna will be guided there by a "mysterious" force. _Harry nodded imperceptibly._  
_

_I'll have to wait until we get organized in our dormitories, but I guess that's part of the plan._

Quite suddenly, Professor McGonagall, stopped listing out students. She sputtered for a moment, then stammered out, "R-Riddle, Lavinia!" Lavinia walked forward, her intense stare sweeping the Hall. She locked eyes with Harry and nodded, and Harry nodded back. She sat down on the stool, and placed the Sorting Hat on her head. After a few moments, the Hat cried, "SLYTHERIN!", and the table to the far right exploded with applause! Harry noticed a flash of dissapointment in Lavinia's eyes, which was quickly covered up with her default, neutral expression.

Harry paid no attention to the rest of the Sorting, and instead happily absorbed all the familiar faces, the ones who he had seen die, and the ones where Ron and Hermione were the ones to bring the terrible news. Dumbledore, Seamus, Snape, Dean, Lavender, Cho, even Cedric, all made his heart leap with happiness.

When the last person was Sorted and they were all settled in their seats, Dumbledore stood up.

"I have a few words to say to you all," he said, beaming happily around the room, "And here they are. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat down to a round of applause. Harry shook his head in amusement and piled mash potatoes on his plate as the food appeared on all the tables. This food was the most he had had in a long time, and Harry savoured the deluxe cooking of the Hogwarts House-elfs. He made a mental note to thank them when he had his next foray into the kitchen. A little ways away, Ron was wolfing down food without any decency whatsoever, and Harry cringed at his table manners. He became aware that the other boys were discussing their blood-status, and he tuned in to listen.

"I'm half-and-half," Seamus was saying, "Me dad's a muggle. Mum's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out." Laughter rippled around the table.

"I'm a Pureblood," said Neville, who had decided to sit at the

gryffindor table across from Harry,"But my family thought I was all muggle for ages. My uncle kept trying to force the magic out of me. He pushed me off of Blackpool Pier once, I nearly drowned. But I only showed accidental magic when I was nine. My uncle was dangling me out the window, when my grandmother offered him a beer, and he accidentally let go - " Harry spat out his pumpkin juice, spraying it all over his shirt, but he paid it no mind. He was gaping at Neville as though he could not believe his eyes. He had given that sentence no notice before, but now that he thought about it...

"Neville, you do know that counts as abuse, right?" he said in shock. Neville looked at him in confusion.

"But I'm not abused! My grandmother says that I'm not even worthy of abuse!"

Harry stared at him, then got up from the table.

"That's it," he said, gritting his teeth, "We're going to see the Headmaster after the Opening Feast." He walked up to the head table, and a few students stared at him as he past.

"Professor," said Harry, gaining Dumbledore's attention, "Would it be okay if Neville and I met up with you after the Feast? You could wait for us in the Hall." He smiled, his light blue eyes twinkling.

"Certainly, my boy," he said jovially, "May I ask what this is about?" Harry hesitated, then leaned forward.

"It's Neville," he whispered, "I think he's being mistreated by his relatives." Dumbledore's eyes widened, and Harry shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I mean, I'm not sure," He mumbled, "But he said that his uncle often tried to - what was the phrase? 'Force the magic out of him'. And he told me his grandmother said that he wasn't even worth being abused." Dumbledore nodded, his face grave.

"Very well," He replied, "I'll wait for you in the Entrance Hall after the Feast is over." Harry nodded in satisfaction and walked back towards the Gryffindor table. Neville was watching him with fearful eyes.

"There's no need!" he squeaked, "Honestly! I-I'm fine! Y-you c-can't tell, t-they'll know if I tell! T-the Headmaster can't know! N-no one c-can know!" Harry placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his stuttering.

"Neville, look at me," said Harry, "You are not weak, you are not a Squib, and you are most certainly not lazy or disloyal! The Sorting Hat knew what it was doing when it put you in Hufflepuff, and you are every bit as good as your parents are!" Neville gulped, then nodded shakily, his eyes full of tears. Harry squeezed his hand and sat down at the table, where Seamus, Fred and George were all staring at him curiously.

"What was that about?" asked Seamus.

"Nothing." Harry replied, to save Neville the embarrassment of them finding out about his abusive relatives. Dumbledore stood up, and all the desserts vanished from the House Tables.

"To the newcomers, welcome! to our old hands, welcome back! Filch has asked me to tell you that magic is banned in the corridors between classes, and those who break this rule will be given a detention. Also, the third floor corridor on the right-hand side is forbidden to all those who do not wish to die a very painful death." Harry facepalmed. Didn't Dumbledore know by now that telling students not to go someplace was the number one way to get them to go there? Also, why was the door locked so a first-year spell could unlock it? What was Dumbledore thinking?

A great scraping of benches signified the end of the feast, and Harry took Neville's hand.

"Come on, the Headmaster's waiting for us."

**A/N: OH MY GOD! OVER 3,000 WORDS! That's like three times as many words as I normally put in a chapter! Well, just don't expect chapters that long for a while; my brain's all tuckered out! Consider this an apology for the rather short chapter I gave you last time. I would have ended it on a better part, but I just couldn't write any more! (Pants and wipes sweat off forehead.)**

** In this story, I'm sort of combining all the favourite plotlines I've read into one book, and hoping it turns out alright. Meh... I think it's okay, and it's providing a good "Voldemort's Daughter" story, because there are absolutely NONE out there! Yes, this was originally going to be a manipulative!Dumbledore story, but I just can't write him out like that.**

** Thank you to those of you who spotted the mistake I made in the chapter! I always approve of constructive critisism!**

** P.S. Oh, and about the disclaimer, I got sick of writing one every chapter, so I did one this chapter that counts for all the remaining chapters. Pretty good idea, right?**

** See you next time!**

** ~Olivia J.**


	6. On Hold

**A/N: Soo soo soooooo sorry, but I have to put this story on hold. Words cannot express how sorry I am that I have to leave you hanging like this; I know how it feels to be reading and realise the story is in HIATUS. I've just got a major writers block, so I have to take a step back from my writing for a while. I PROMISE that I WILL be continuing this story, but I have to take a break for a while. I hope you'll forgive me, all you wonderful followers of my story!**

**I've also come up with a new idea for a story. Who likes Ranger's Apprentice? I do; I'm a major fan! I also like Harry Potter and I realise there is like NO Ranger's Apprentice and Harry Potter crossovers, so I'm going to be making one. I hope you like it, Ranger's Apprentice fans! **

** BYE!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm back! I just couldn't stand to stay away from my story for too long, so yeah, I'm stopping the "on hold" status of it. I' hope y'all forgive me for scaring you like that! PLEASE read my Harry Potter oneshot, "A Tribute to the Fallen", I promise you it's really good! I actually cried while I was writing it...**

** I tried to get back to this story sooner, but I just couldn't think of what to write. STUPID WRITERS BLOCK!**

** In regards to my RA/HP Crossover: I'm going to be updating that story pretty slowly, since it is more of a sort of leisurely paced story. I hope you like this chapter; it took me FOREVER to come up with it!**

After everyone cleared out of the Hall, Harry led Neville over to where Dumbledore was waiting by the Staff Table. Dumbledore looked rather grim, and for once he did not have a grandfatherly smile on his face. Harry supposed that since Dumbledore did not know him very well, he did not know what to expect. Also, the fact that they were there for Harry's suspicion of Neville being abused made him very grim indeed. Harry could feel Neville trembling as they approached Dumbledore, and tried to hide behind Harry.

I'm not going to curse you, you know," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling reassuringly, "I'm just going to to take you up to my office for a bit of tea. I always find tea really relaxes me when I am tense." Suddenly there was a voice which made them all turn, to see Luna walking towards them.

"Harry, I thought we were going to look at the Nargles! " Luna's voice was slightly less dreamy, which meant that she was annoyed. Harry smiled at her. He had hated losing her in the Third War; she had been the last of his friends to perish.

"Go and wait in the entrance hall; Neville and I were merely going to have a chat with Dumbledore." Luna huffed angrily and crossed her arms.

"The wrackspurts told me to come with me, so I will." Harry made to protest, but quailed under the look she gave him.

"Alright!"said Harry. "You can come!" Harry threw up his hands in exasperation and followed Dumbledore and Neville from the Hall.

Neville gripped Harry's robes nervously as they approached the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office, and squeaked in fear and surprise when the gargoyle hopped aside. Harry patted his back reassuringly, so Neville wouldn't be so frightened.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Harry received a jolt of shock. There, standing by Dumbledore's desk, stood Snape, in all his glowering glory. Memories upon memories came rushing towards Harry and enveloped him, making him stagger and fall to his knees.

_ "She's just jealous. She's ordinary, you're special."_

_ "He's evil, Sev, how could you think of being friends with that rat?"_

_ "Weak, arrogant, strutting around the school as if he owns the place. I'm surprised his broom could get off the ground with his fat head on it."_

_"I don't need help from a Mudblood like her!"_

_ "My friends don't even know why I keep on talking to you!"_

_ "Is a childhood grudge worth putting an innocent man into Azkaban?"_

_"Keep her safe. Hide them all!"_

_ "You said you would keep her safe!"_

_ "Lily and James put their faith in the wrong person, rather like you, Severus."_

_ "Lily, after all this time?"_

_ "You have her eyes."_

_ "Always."_

"HARRY!"

Harry became aware that someone was shaking him,and he looked up to see Dumbledore crouching over him, looking worried and frightened.

"S-sorry," Harry gasped, "I dunno what happened." He staggered to his feet with Dumbledore helping him, and felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. Harry shook his head once more and sat down at the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, feeling winded.

"What did you see?" asked Dumbledore. Harry looked at him in shock and confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Dumbledore leaned forward slightly and replied, "You had glazed eyes, as if you were having a flashback. I've only seen eyes like that on those who were having a vision." Harry felt that the explanation was thoroughly vague, but didn't press it, and instead told them of the first memory he thought of.

"I - I saw a girl," he said shakily, "She had red hair and green eyes like mine, and she was on a swing. She jumped of the swing, but instead of falling, she sort of flew across the air and landed lightly. I think she's a witch." Professor Snape made a choking noise, and Harry stared at him, feigning curiosity.

"Are you alright, Professor?" Snape simply glowered and turned his head away. Dumbledore chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

"Now, onto the subject at hand," he said, all traces of amusement gone, "You told me that you suspected Neville's home life was bad. Could he perhaps contribute to this notion?" Neville closed his eyes and shook his head, his lips pressed together a though he were trying not to cry. Harry put his arm around Nevilles shoulders comfortingly.

"It's okay," he said, "We're here to help. We won't tell them, I swear." Neville slowly nodded, tears leaking from his eyes.

"My - My gran says that I'll never be as good as my parents. Its - It's," Neville let out a choked sob, "It's like she blames me for their deaths. She always compares me to them. But how can I be like them if I don't even know them? I don't know what I'm doing wrong!" His voice rose in pitch as he talked, and by the end he was nearly screaming. "I just feel so -"

"Helpless," Harry finished. Neville looked at him in confusion.

"You feel as if you must have done something wrong, or else why would they treat you like this? Well let me let you in on a little secret," Harry leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. "You haven't done anything wrong, they only think you have. You don't have to keep putting a mask on your emotions, you don't have to keep taking crap from them, Neville. You're stronger than them, you don't have to hide." Neville looked at him with a new found respect.

"I - yes, that is how I feel. How did you know?" Neville asked him. Harry swore inwardly; he hadn't thought of that! Too many slip ups like that, and it could blow his cover!

"Because I had to endure the same things from the Dursleys. Note the past tense; they don't bother me anymore, but that's mainly because they're afraid I'll curse them if they do anything." Neville nodded in understanding.

"Well," he said uncertainly, "My family likes to insult me a lot, and Gran's always comparing me to Dad. I visit him every Christmas, and my Gran wouldn't get me a new wand. She said that my Dad's wand should be good enough for me."

"A wand that is not bonded to the wizard that is using it will not work properly, as Augustus knows very well," Snape growled, and Harry jumped; he had forgotten he was there. "Obviously she wants you to be a carbon copy of your father, and she will do anything to fit you into her copy of perfection. She must learn to see you as yourself. I expect Minerva will have a word with her." Harry snorted, he couldn't contain himself.

"That's a bit rich coming from you, Professor." He muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, Professor Snape caught every word.

"What was that, Potter?" He sneered, gazing down at Harry with loathing.

"I said, that's a bit rich coming from you, Professor," said Harry boldly. Neville gasped, and Dumbledores forehead was creased with a slight frown.

"And what do you mean by that?" Snape asked, danger hissing through every syllable.

"I saw the look you gave me after the Sorting," Harry replied with disdain, "You see me as James Potter, not me. Well sorry, but James is my middle name, not my first, and you shouldn't take out your anger on me. I - " Harry pretended to blink in confusion. "S-sorry, Professor, what was I saying? I can't remember." Dumbledore was staring at him closely.

"You don't remember anything about James and Severus having a rivalry?" He asked quietly.

"What? No," Harry replied, "I was never told anything about my parents from the Dursleys, all they told me was a lie, that my freakish mother and her worthless husband died in a car crash."

"That's awful!" Luna exclaimed indignantly, "The Wrackspurts must've really affected them!" Harry nodded absentmindedly.

"Speaking of which, Neville, may I have a word with your Gran over the holidays?" Neville looked at him in confusion, but nodded in ascent.

"She'll like to know that I'm making friends," he replied, but Harry couldn't help but notice the slight edge to his voice that meant that he was not 100% certain that he wanted Harry to come over.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed, clapping his hands together as he stood up. "I will ask Minerva to have a word with Augustus as soon as possible! You three should probably get to bed; it's certain to be a long day tomorrow." Harry nodded, already feeling the gentle tug on his being that meant the Heart of Hogwarts was calling him to the Room of Requirement, and exited down the spiral staircase, Luna an Neville following behind.

**A/N: Hello, fellow readers! I'm back! Sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter, but I'm now writing two stories at once, which will slow down my posts (Though, admittedly, not as long as it took me to post this one), and a really hope none of you have abandoned this story. I don't intend to abandon this story any time soon, so I apologize if I scared anyone.**

** My story "A Stranger in the Forest" is getting on pretty well; not many Ranger's Apprentice/ Harry Potter crossovers are made and finished, so I hope to give you all a treat if you like Ranger's Apprentice. I will be alternating posting chapters for each story and I only have time to write at lunchtime during school, so my update rate will be really slow. After I've finished this story, I'm considering writing an Assassin's Creed fanfiction, which is an AWESOME video game that I've become obsessed with in recent months. Oh, and, like always, REVIEW PLEEAASSE!**

** Story Recommendation: "A Rather Unique Harry", in which Harry has highly- functioning Autism, and Dumbledore is manipulative!**

** P.S. : Sorry that I didn't get to the meeting in the Room of Requirement.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'M BACK! I'm sorry to those of you who've been waiting forever! I've decided to stop updating my other stories in favour of working on this one, so I apologize to those of you who are waiting for the Ranger's Apprentice one to update. I just can't write more than one story at a time. My updates are probably going to be much slower and more erratic, because I have just entered eighth grade and thus have a much more limited time for writing. My mom has been getting on my case about my schoolwork, so you know how that goes! DON'T GIVE UP ON ME! Anyway, here's my story, and a long awaited new chapter.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, no matter how much I wish I did.**

**Chapter 7(?)**

Harry, Neville and Luna exited Dumbledore's office. He smiled serenely at them and waved as they passed out of sight around the bend of the corridor. They walked a little ways towards the place where they would have to split up, before, just as Fawkes had said, a strong urge to take the right turn instead of the left overcame him.

"Hey, you guys," Neville said in a slightly dazed voice, "Let's go this way instead. It seems safer."

"I agree," replied Luna, and they both turned right. Harry followed behind, quite unnerved by their behaviour, even though he knew what was happening. All three of them sauntered at a serene pace down the corridor, passing portraits that stared at them curiously, and suits of armour who's heads seemed to turn ever so slightly as they passed. Finally, they reached the statue of Barnibus the Barmy, walked past it, and then turned back the other way. Neville, Luna and Harry did this three times, until the Room of Requirement appeared, and Neville and Luna seemed to snap out of it.

"W-What happened? Why are we here?" Neville stammered, clearly distressed at the thought of any sort of mind control. Luna however, looked unphased, and was staring curiously at the door.

"Someone wanted us her. They wanted us to find this door." She said, her tone betraying interest, but no fear.

"I suggest we see what's inside," said Harry, and they both stepped forward.

Neville tagged behind, moaning, "Do neither of you find this the least bit suspicious?" They were all brought up short by the sight that awaited them. The room was large, about the size of the Gryffindor common room, but different in almost every other aspect. Instead of there being pure red and gold decorations, all the house colors were included. In the center of the room, there was an ancient looking oval shaped table, with four elegant chairs surrounding it. The banners of each of the houses were each in one of the four corners of the room, displaying them proudly and equally. To the left of the table, there was a crackling fireplace, with four puffy, overstuffed armchairs surrounding it, one green one, one blue one, one red one and one yellow one. The ceiling displayed a magnificent view of the night sky, not unlike the ceiling in the Great Hall. A magnificent chandelier hung over the table, white and silver crystals dangling from it, and to the right of the table, there was a bookshelf spanning the length of the wall. But what really caught their attention was that Livinia was curled up on one of the armchairs, apparently reading one of the books from the bookshelf. She looked up as they walked in.

"You too, huh?" She said, by way of greeting. All three of them looked at her confusedly. She sighed. "You all got pulled here by an invisible force, which also told you to open the door and wait here?" All three of them nodded. She sighed again and beckoned them forward. They situated themselves in the armchairs according to what houses they belonged to. Of course once settled, they realized that Luna didn't have one. She looked around, still with that unfazed look in her eye.

"Okay then," She sighed, and promptly sat in Harry's lap.

"Oomph! Luna!" Harry gasped. "You're smothering me!" Luna sent him a look that clearly said, _Well that's what you get for not leaving me a seat, _and was about to reply when an unfamiliar voice interrupted them.

"I see you've gotten yourselves settled in nicely." Harry started at the familiarity of the voice, and Luna jumped off Harry's lap to stare at the new intruder. Harry's head whipped around. A beautiful woman stood there, a pure white headscarf wrapped around her head. Her dress, also pure white, reached to the floor and pooled elegantly around her feet. The sleeves were long, and almost reached past her hands, the neckline high and tinged pink. Her eyes were a piercing blue. There was a certain purity and modesty that Harry had never seen around another woman before. She smiled.

"Hello, children," She said softly," I am Hogwarts."

**A/N: Yes, I know that it's short, but all of you guys have been begging and begging for an update. I'm ashamed to say that I completely forgot about this story for like a month, and when I did remember, I had to go back and re-read my story because I couldn't remember where I left off. :( I am extremely sorry (I'm probably going to be saying this a lot *sheepish grin*), but I cannot promise anything.**

**Sooo, it's nearing my birthday again! December 11, baby! 14 years old! YESS! It's also a bit disconcerting, though, because it means that in 2 years, I'm going to be driving a car. DRIVING a CAR! Can you imagine? I'm sooo ready to grow up, but at the same time I don't want to, you know what I mean? I don't even have my own phone yet! I should probably ask for one for my birthday. The thing is, every birthday, or just in life in general, my mum has to pay double for everything, because of Joey and I being twins and all. So me getting a phone would mean Joey getting one too. Which might not be too great. Yeah, probably not. Our mum and our dad are already paying like $5,000 for our braces, they don't need more on top of that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this ridiculously short chapter (Again, sorry about that)! Next up, they are going to get there destinies explained to them by a sentient building. More opportunities for foreshadowing! FORESHADOWING IS MY GOLD!**

**Recommended Fanfic: Midnight Guardian, really awesome plot, plus multiple sequels!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: AND I'm back! That was quicker than last time, wasn't it? Again. I'm really sorry about the wait. This chapter has got to be great; with so many of you reading, I don't want to muck this up! If I make any mistakes, let me know, okay? I don't have a beta! I was thinking of bringing up a knew thing called "Either Or", where I'll say something like "Fire or Ice?" And you guys would reply. It would be fun, but it would mean more work for me! What do you think? Let me know in the comments! Anyway, let's get this started!**

**Chapter 9 (I'm sure now!)**

Everyone, including Harry, gaped at her.

"P-pardon?" Harry stammered. Hogwarts smiled warmly at him and engulfed him in a hug. Harry's eyes nearly popped out of his head. It's nt every day that you get hugged by a sentient building. Then she went around the room, giving each a big hug, before coming to stand in front of the fireplace.

"I understand you are confused, correct?" She said kindly. They all nodded dumbly, and she chuckled. "No need to be frightened! I don't bite; I'm just a physical manifestation of my consciousness, here to greet my heirs!"

"Excuse me, Ms. Hogwarts," said Luna politely, "But what do you mean by, your 'heirs'?" She sighed and sat down right in the center of the floor. Harry sat back down, and Luna promptly sat on top of him again.

"Mmph!" Harry gasped, "Could you please just sit on the floor?" Suddenly a chair appeared next to them.

"That's convenient," Luna said breezily, and sat down in the purple armchair. It was the Room of Requirement, after all.

"If I am to explain this, I must start from the beginning," said Hogwarts pointedly. They all went silent. Livinia carelessly set her book aside and sat up, looking interested.

"There is an alternate timeline, right beside yours, which held the key to the success, if only the heirs were united," Hogwarts began, and Harry's eyes widened. This was getting interesting already. "But everything messed up. The Death Eaters grew in number, and those who opposed them were executed, as the Boy-Who-Lived cheated destiny, cheated death." Harry felt her words cut through him like a knife. He had indeed refused to join the Order, if only to escape Dumbledore's well-intentioned but mislead grip. "This continued for almost five years, the Light and the Dark destroying one another, hundreds of casualties on either side. And in all of this, information was kept from those who needed it. For if I had intervened and told you what I am telling you now, many need not have died." She bowed her head at this, looking ashamed. "Finally, the war reached my doorstep, and a spell was shot that destroyed my heart. As I felt myself dying, I consoled the Boy-Who-Lived, my little child, and sent Fawkes the phoenix to ease his pain. It is thus that I brought you here, to stop what happened before it has begun."

"But how would you see into that timeline? Isn't it after now?" said Hermione confusedly. Harry started, for he had not seen her come in. Hogwarts smiled.

"Ever since I was born, I have seen into all of time, at every moment that I am still standing. I assure you, time is much less linear than you think." She said simply.

"But you must know so much!" said Hermione excitedly nearly hopping up and down in her seat. "You could tell us all that we need to know!" Hogwarts shook her head softly.

"I can't," She said, "I've already told you too much about the future anyway, I cannot tell you any more. However, I can tell you this." She leaned in closer, even though no one else could possibly overhear their conversation. "Don't trust Professor Dumbledore." Hermione and Neville both gasped.

"But he's the most powerful Light wizard in the world! Why would we not trust him?" Neville asked confusedly.

"Power does not guarantee trustworthiness," Livinia spoke up quietly, and Hogwarts nodded approvingly.

"Indeed," Hogwarts said, "His intentions are in the right place. However, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Dumbledore will do anything to keep the Boy-Who-Lived under his grasp, to guide him." At this she nodded to Harry. "Unfortunately, this may drive him to do immoral and even unlawful things. Be careful when dealing with him. Other than that, I have no other advice."

"But we don't even know what being the heirs of Hogwarts means!" Hermione exclaimed worriedly. Hogwarts smiled.

"You will come to know, in time. I will help you on your path to greatness. Remember, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." With that, Hogwarts consciousness faded from sight. There was a long silence.

"Well," said Luna vaguely, as if they had not just talked to Hogwarts herself, "I suppose we should say goodnight to each other."

"Yeah, goodnight everybody, I'm all tired out." Harry said. In truth, his brain was buzzing so much that he seriously doubted he would be able to sleep, but he needed some time to think on all the information he had just been given.

"We shall, in the morning, discuss plans for future meetings, yes?" asked Lavinia. Harry nodded, and exited the Room of Requirement, which, he realized, must be the heart of Hogwarts. During the long walk back to Gryffindor Tower, he let his mind wander. Belatedly, he realized that this was the first time into the Common Room in this life. He wondered if there was anything different about it. _Everything, _he thought, and wasn't sure if he was thinking about the Tower, or his life.

When he reached the Portrait Hole, he realized he didn't know the password.

"Er... Pig snout? Fairy lights?" He tried tentatively. The Fat Lady merely looked at him. "Caput Draconis?" She swung aside with a sigh, and Harry eagerly climbed in. Tension he didn't know he had drained from him when he saw that the Common Room looked exactly the same as it had in his other first year. Harry tried not to think about how it had looked burnt and tumbling down, the bodies of friends and classmates laying everywhere.

He climbed his way to the Boy's Dormitory, opened the door, and threw himself onto his bed, not knowing our caring if anyone else was awake. Laying his glasses down on the nightstand next to his bed, he realized vaguely just how tired he was. He let his head fall, and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

**A/N: And that's another short chapter finished! I was going to do this chapter and the one before it as one large chapter originally, but I wanted to get it out to you guys quickly. Which brings me to my first question: Do you want shorter chapters with more frequent updates, or longer ones with less frequent updates and greater chance that I will accidentally forget about it? Let me know! Personally, I like doing the shorter chapters, because they take less time (I don't have a very long attention span!), and I can give you guys more words in less time overall. Otherwise, I just run out of steam halfway through and develop writers block.**

**Book Recommendation: White Lies. It is a wonderful story for those who ship Drarry slash, although I wouldn't recommend it if you are against such things. Combines humor, love and all-around denial from both sides! :) It's also long!**

** Review please! I want to know if I accidentally write shit instead of hit! Like and follow, if you don't mind!**

** P.S.: Was Livinia's name originally Lavinia? I keep mixing it up!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** **Hello you guys! I've decided to do shorter chapters with more frequent updates, because that seems like what the general populous agrees on. Sorry if my story goes from like updating every day to like once a month and back again or something like that. I'm kind of going through a rough time period in my life right now, and I think I may be depressed. I'm finding it hard to stay motivated. :( But don't worry, here's that next chapter you've been waiting for! Assalamu Alaikum (Peace be unto you)!**

**Chapter 10**

Harry woke up early the next morning, his body being used to waking up at 5:00 to make the Dursleys breakfast. He fumbled around for his glasses to check the time, and managed only to knock them to the floor. Sighing, he got out of bed and retrieved them, shoving them halfheartedly onto his face. _Well, _Harry grumbled internally, _No use falling back asleep now. _The clock told him that it was only 6:00am.

Harry dressed quickly and made his way to the Common Room, slipping past a snoring Ron. To his surprise, George Weasley was sitting in one of the armchairs by the window, playing with some odd contraption held in his palm. He looked up sharply as Harry walked in, and shoved it into his pocket.

"Hello," George said innocently, "What are you doing up this early?" Harry raised his eyebrow.

"I could ask you the same question," he replied, "And you're without Fred even." To Harry's surprise, George rolled his eyes.

"We may be twins, but we're not attached at the hip," George said, slight irritation coating his voice, "I don't spent every single waking moment with him." Harry was taken aback.

"Alright," He said, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions!"

"That's okay," said George brightly, "Because he _is _here anyway!" George took the contraption out of his pocket, and pressed a button. There was a ripple in the air next to him, and Fred appeared, sporting a rather evil looking grin.

"Good day," He said, "What do you think they're serving for breakfast today?" Harry let out a groan.

"I should've known," he shook his head despairingly, "The whole of Hogwarts thinks you are Siamese twins." They didn't answer, just sported identical grins.

"So, we should probably go down to the Great Hall..." Harry said, rather awkwardly. Fred (Or was it George?) shook his head.

We've got some... unfinished business to take care of. You can go on ahead." Harry opened his mouth to ask what that unfinished business was, then decided the he really didn't want to know. He turned and climbed out of the Portrait Hole, making his way down the corridor. As soon as he round the bend, however, a flash of fire appeared in front of him, and a letter floated to the floor, as well as one red phoenix feather. Harry picked the letter up and saw the unmistakable long, loopy handwriting of Albus Dumbledore. _Not my Fawkes, then, _he thought disappointingly, _Oh well. Breakfast can wait, I guess. _He ripped open the letter to see it's contents.

_**Dear Harry,**_

_** How are you fitting in? Well, I hope. I wonder if you would come to my office as soon as we are able, so we may be able to greet each other properly. Just grab on to the phoenix feather if you agree, and it will take you straight here.**_

_** Best wishes,**_

** _Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore_**

If Harry had truly been 11 years old, he probably would have been very excited. As it were, Harry was suspicious of Dumbledore's true intentions, as Hogwarts had warned them all about him. However, refusing such an offer would probably gain more attention than it deflected, as any one of Hogwarts' students would jump at the chance to meet the all great and powerful Albus Dumbledore. _Well, _Harry thought grimly, _Best make sure my Occlumency shields are in place._ Harry bent down, grabbed hold of the feather, and braced himself for the familiar tugging sensation at the back of his navel.

**A/N: I am SO sorry for making this basically useless, tiny filler chapter, but I wanted to be able to get something out to you guys before I get completely swamped by "holiday spirit" (Which basically means loads of shopping planning, and gritting your teeth in an imitation smile at your annoying relatives). I'm probably the only teen in the world who dislikes Christmas, because it's just too much hassle to buy everyone gifts! Plus it's a huge waste of perfectly good money. Love my parents though! If I didn't, Allah would condemn me to Hell! Hehe. Anyway, I'm probably not going to be updating this story for a while, because of it being both the holiday season and my birthday coming up. Sorry in advance! Guess what, though? That means I've been at this story for almost an entire year! MAN, SO COOL! I fancy myself a way better writer now, though. Assalamu Alaikum, people of the Earth!**

**Eiliyah**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: HEEYY GUYS I'M BACK! Well, that took a while, Jesus. Sorry about that. I'll tell you guys more about it at the end of the chapter, ok? Let's get into it.**

**Chapter 11**

**Good Intentions**

Harry stumbled as he landed, blinking and trying to orient himself in his new surroundings. The achingly familiar office almost made him lose his guard, for in his time it had been smashed and destroyed by Death Eaters in the third war. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of the overwhelming nostalgia, and quickly put up the guise of an excited and nervous first year.

"Hello, Harry," Harry jumped and looked around to see Dumbledore staring at him from his desk, his fingers pressed together as if in prayer.

"H-hello Professor," Harry replied with semi-genuine nervousness. "I got your invitation." He suppressed a wince as he felt a light touch on his Occlumency shields. If he hadn't been such a good Occlumens, he would never have even felt it. _Does he do that to all his students? _Harry wondered. Such a thought made him feel mildly sick to his stomach.

"Please, take a seat," Dumbledore said in a calm voice, although his eyes had narrowed slightly. Harry sat down warily.

"Sir, if this is about my classes, I haven't even had any yet." Dumbledore chuckled and shook his head.

"No, not at all, my boy," he replied. "I was rather wondering about your familiar." I started in surprise at that. I had left Renso to explore the Forbidden Forest, as I didn't want to draw attention to him or myself.

"My. . . familiar, sir?" Harry asked confusedly. Dumbledore elaborated.

"I asked Remus to make sure you had one, even though a familiar at your age is pretty rare. He informed me that you did, and yet I saw no sign of this familiar of yours. Was Remus mistaken?" Harry shook his head.

"I just. . . my familiar is kind of . . . conspicuous, Professor. I didn't want to bring him to the feast because I didn't want to scare people off." Harry said nervously. Dumbledore cocked his head to one side.

"If I may ask, what kind of creature is your familiar?" Dumbledore asked.

"A snake, sir." There was a beat of silence.

"I see," Dumbledore murmured thoughtfully. "Well, as long as he doesn't attempt to harm any of the students, I don't see a reason why you can't bring him with you. One of the things you will learn, Harry, is that it does not do for a wizard to be without their familiar for too long. It puts a strain on one's magic." Harry already knew this, of course, but he nodded his understanding anyway.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said in a relieved tone. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling, and he felt another brush on his Occlumency shields.

"I will inform the other Professors of your special circumstances regarding your familiar," Dumbledore said. "And in the meantime, it's about time you got to class. Objects don't transfigure themselves." Harry nodded, glad that the meeting was over, and stood up.

"See you!" Harry exclaimed, and bounded towards the door, eager to escape the ice blue gaze.

"Harry," Dumbledore called after him. Harry paused with his hand on the doorknob. "If you ever need to speak with me, I rather enjoy lemon drops." Harry nodded quickly and left the room. The twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes disappeared as he stared after him. He had obviously known about Harry's Occlumency shields from the Sorting, but for them to be that strong. . .

"He had to have had some training," Dumbledore murmured. "What are you hiding, Harry Potter?" There was no reply, except the Sorting Hat snorting as if it were the most obvious question in the world.

**A/N: So yeah! There's another chapter! :D I know it was kinda short, but its been a while since I've written something not for school, and I'm kind of rusty. My update schedule will be kinda slow, since high school generally gets in the way of any hobby I try to start. And. I'm also working on my other story, Stranger of the Forest, and that story takes priority over this one. But this story ain't abandoned, guys, don't worry. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in literally more then a year, but I went through a bit of a rough patch in my life. I'm good now, though, and ready to write.**

**See you guys next chapter! :D**

**Adrian**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: A little later than I meant it to be, but since midterms are in a week, I can't exactly help it. Nevertheless, here you go!**

**Chapter 12**

**Classifications**

As Dumbledore had told him, Professor McGonagall didn't even look up as Harry entered the classroom twenty minutes late. Neville waved at him silently from across the room, gesturing to an empty seat next to him. Harry walked quickly over to him and sat down, trying not to be too conspicuous.

"Where were you?" Neville whispered, but Harry shook his head and mouthed, "_Later." _Neville glanced up at Professor McGonagall, who was still lecturing the class on the importance of safety in Transfiguration, and hastily filled Harry in on what they were going to be doing in the class. Harry suppressed a groan of annoyance when he said that they were to be changing matches into needles. Harry could probably do so wandless with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back, but he kept quiet. What else was he to expected when in a first year class? Besides, watching the others struggle with such a simple spell provided enough entertainment to last a lifetime.

"Why won't the spell bloody work!?" Ron moaned in annoyance, flinging his arms about like a windmill. To his right, Seamus attempted the spell but only managed to light his match on fire. Harry snorted and ducked his head so that no one could see the wide grin on his face. Seamus always did have an affinity for pyrotechnics.

"Aren't you going to try the spell, Harry?" Neville asked, breaking him out of his revere. Harry rolled up his sleeves.

"Right," he said. He flicked his wand at the match, purposefully messing up the movement, but it was no use. Even at his weakest, Harry could do the spell in his sleep. The match transformed into a flawless silver needle, which seemed to sparkle and glow in the torchlight. Neville gaped at him.

"First try!" He exclaimed, "But I haven't even made any sort of change to mine yet!" Harry shrugged, internally wondering why life must be this cruel to him. Neville stood up/

"Professor!" He called, "Harry's got it! It's amazing; come see!" Harry cringed as Professor McGonagall walked over to study his glowing needle, no small amount of shock visible on her face.

"Well done, Mr. Potter," she said. "Twenty points to Gryffindor!" Harry felt his his face heat up, not in pleasure, but in embarrassment. He really didn't deserve those points. What shocked him most was when Professor McGonagall gave him a small smile.

"You know, I really shouldn't be surprised," She said kindly. "Your father James always had a gift for Transfiguration." Then she walked away, leaving Harry with a warm feeling in his chest.

The rest of his classes passed by fairly quickly. The teachers reactions towards him were essentially the same as they had been in his other life, Flitwick still falling off his stack of books and letting out a squeak of surprise that had Harry suppressing an eye roll. Harry ate lunch in a quiet corner of the Gryffindor table, then it was off to Defense Against the Dark Arts where Quirrel stuttered out a greeting to Harry that made his scar prickle for the rest of class, and deepened the sense of foreboding that he felt when he thought of what class he had next. A certain greasy haired professor was not going to be happy to see him. As the bell rang for the final class of the day, Harry reluctantly made his way down into the dungeons and towards the potions classroom. On his way there, he saw a familiar head of slicked back blond hair, and a flash of silvery eyes staring at him. Apparently since Harry hadn't outright refused Malfoy's friendship, he was more content to watch Harry from the shadows, in almost out of character subtlety.

The dungeon doors banged open with a crash that made him jump. All the other first years looked as apprehensive as Harry felt as hawk-like eyes swept over the crowd. When the eyes reached him Harry gulped, remembering that the last time those eyes had stared at him was when Snape lay dying in a shack.

"Enter." The cold monotone voice of Severus Snape cut through the shuffling of nervous feet. Carefully, Harry slipped into the middle of the students filing into the classroom, hoping to avoid the notice and anger of Professor Snape. Even though he could most likely beat the man in a duel, he'd rather not incite anything from Snape on his first day of school. Harry chose a quiet spot in the back of the classroom, away from prying eyes. Once everyone had settled, Snape began his speech.

""You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." Harry snorted as the last line essentially ruined the power of the entire speech. Unfortunately, Snape saw. His eyes narrowed.

"Potter!" Harry's head snapped up. "What would I get if I brewed asphodel with an infusion of wormwood?"

"A sleeping potion, sir," Harry said, trying to appear knowledgeable without making it suspicious. Snape's eyes narrowed further.

"And where would I find a bezoar?"

"In your store cupboard, I suppose, sir."

"And what is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

They are the same plant, sir." Snape stared at him for a few seconds.

"Asphodel and an infusion of wormwood would produce the Draught of Living Death, a sleeping potion so powerful that the victim appears to be dead, " Snape hissed. "A bezoar is collected from the stomach of a goat. And the plant called both monkshood and wolfsbane has another name; Aconite. Five points from Gryffindor for your sloppy guesswork, Potter." Harry bit back a retort, knowing it would only serve to make Snape angrier. Snape turned back to face the room at large.

"Today you will be brewing the cure for boils. Instructions are on the board. Begin." There was a rustle of activity as students hurried to grab ingredients and open their textbooks. Harry waited until the activity died down a reasonable degree before going to collect his own ingredients and make his way back to his table. He didn't bother looking up at the board as he started crushing the porcupine quills into a fine powder, brushing the sweat from his forehead as he did so. He knew perfectly well that the recipe didn't call for them to be crushed, but it made it so that they were not so susceptible to heat, making brewing the potion a lot quicker. Harry scraped them to one side and began adding ingredients to the water in the practice cauldron, turning up the fire underneath it to medium. The potion bubbled thickly, and changed color, letting Harry know that it was time for stage two. Harry began stirring the potion counter-clockwise, checking the time every now and again. At three minutes, the potion turned a deep purple and gradually grew lighter. Eventually it became a light lavender shade, and Harry stopped stirring. Right as he was about to pour the porcupine quills into the cauldron, however, a cool voice interrupted.

"Now what have we here, Mr. Potter?" Harry looked up to see Snape staring down at him, a malicious smirk curling his lips.

"Powdered porcupine quill, sir," replied Harry nervously, knowing the answer he'd receive.

"Fifteen points from Gryffindor," Snape spat. "If you had read the directions at all you would know that the porcupine quills were to be whole, not crushed." Instead of answering, Harry simply poured the powder into the potion. Instantly, it turned a sickly yellow, exactly the shade of a perfectly brewed Cure for Boils. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," He said slowly, "An alternative method of preparing the porcupine quills would alter its effects. For example, if they were to be crushed into a powder, it would render the quills much less likely to combust under high temperatures, making the third stage of the potion much more stable." Snape gazed at Harry a curious glint in his eye, as if he was reassessing something.

"Your mother had an aptitude for Potions as well," he said, almost thoughtfully, then strode away. Harry gaped after him. That was unexpected. Turning his gaze back to his potion, Harry accidently caught the eye of none other than Draco Malfoy, who was staring at him with the same strange glint in his eyes as Snape's. Harry nodded at him, and Malfoy's eyes flicked back to his potion, which was a slightly brighter yellow than it should've been. Harry shook his head disbelievingly. This was proving to be a very strange experience indeed.

**A/N: AND done. Whew, that took a while. I really hope it has a good wordcount, I honestly tried my best. In regards to some questions you might have, yes, Harry will bring Renso to his classes. It might even be in the next chapter. But Harry had already missed the first half-hour of Transfiguration, and with everything else going on, he simply forgot. Also, I didn't include Neville because he's not in Gryffindor House in this fic. Just thought I'd clear that up.**

**As midterms are coming up, I really have to focus on those, so updates might be a couple of days late. Other than that, I should be good! :D See you guys next chapter!**

Adrian


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